


Whatever It Takes

by CelestialBronze



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action, Akumatized Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Chat Noir Needs A Hug, F/M, Identity Reveal, New Miraculous Holders, One Shot, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 20:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19236391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialBronze/pseuds/CelestialBronze
Summary: When Ladybug’s identity is accidentally revealed, Chat Noir takes it badly. Now, Ladybug will need to recruit a new ally in order to take down Hawkmoth’s latest and strongest Akuma: Chat Blanc. Will Ladybug’s new ally be enough to save Ladybug’s partner and most beloved friend from Hawkmoth?





	Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first one-shot, so take it as such. The plotfic is going to take a long time to complete, so I wanted to write a smaller fic based on a tumblr post. I’ll link the post so you guys can see it. 
> 
> SIDE NOTE: I realize some of this stuff isn’t possible. It’s magic. Anything is possible.
> 
> Based on this post: https://peyekacang77.tumblr.com/post/179724708828/reveal-scene-sorry-if-its-too-dark-or-luka-is

“Ladybug, you’re about to transform back!”

Hearing this, Ladybug started to panic, waving her arms in front of her in a futile attempt to cover herself. She was in the park with Chat Noir and Luka after defeating a relatively simple Akuma that had its eyes set on the latter, causing the duo to have to evacuate Luka. Ladybug was just about to return Luka back to his house when her Miraculous beeped, ending her transformation.

Feeling the suit leave her body, Ladybug, now Marinette, slowly turned towards the boys, trying to gauge their reactions. Both wore shocked expressions on their faces, Chat more than Luka.

Marinette started to turn red, afraid of what they would think of small, timid Marinette being their hero, Ladybug. Before she could worry any more, Luka suddenly rushed forwards, enveloping Marinette in his arms. “Marinette! Are you okay?”

Marinette stood shocked from Luka’s reaction, not replying. Luka continued, saying, “After all this time… you’re the one who’s been saving me.” He nuzzled further into her hair.

Finally, Marinette came to her senses, wrapping her arms around Luka. In response, he squeezed her tighter, giving Marinette a warm feeling in her chest. After a few seconds, they released their embrace, the two smiling at each other.

~~~

Chat Noir wasn’t prepared for this today. He imagined Ladybug would reveal her identity in a secluded space, confessing her love or at least her friendship for him. Maybe in the aftermath of their final battle, after defeating Hawkmoth. He definitely did not think it would be in the middle of the park, with Luka, by accident. Ladybug was the professional one, after all. If anyone would start the reveal by accident, it would be him.

Ladybug had been walking away, Luka following, when her Miraculous beeped and her suit fell away. Luka had called out to her, but it was too late. After a wave of pink sparkles, in Ladybug’s place stood Marinette, with her Kwami hovering not far off.

Chat didn’t register it at first. He blinked once, trying to figure out where Ladybug went. Once he put the pieces together, his eyes widened in shock. _Marinette_   _is Ladybug. Marinette is my lady!_  He felt joy rise throughout his body, and he started towards Marinette.

Before he could move a step, however, Luka rushed forwards instead. Chat watched as Luka hugged her, Marinette soon returning the embrace.

Chat’s face fell, his joy slowly turning into dread. _That guy... the one Ladybug was talking about... that was Luka?_ He turned around, unable to bear it for any longer. Tears started falling down his face, making their way onto his suit and eventually the ground.

_It makes sense,_ Chat thought to himself. _Luka is a talented musician, and I’m just an annoying bother in a catsuit._ He stood there, sobbing into his hands when a dark voice spoke in his head.

“Chat Noir,” it said, “you’ve been rejected time and time again by Ladybug. She’s always had her eyes set on another, forever leading you on only to drag you in the dirt. She doesn’t love you. Why help her?

All you have to do is bring me her miraculous, and I can make sure you’ll be noticed and cared for. Now, do we have a deal?”

~~~

After letting go of Luka, Marinette suddenly realized Chat Noir was still there, facing away. She looked at Luka, finding he had spotted him as well. Luka glanced back at her, motioning towards Chat and saying, “He’s your partner. Go, talk to him.”

Nodding, she gathered up her courage and delicately walked up to him. Because he was turned around, she couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad with her identity. She was nervous, with Chat being her partner and best friend. All she could hope for was the best. She approached him slowly and said, “Hey, Chat. Um-“

Chat’s ears perked up at this, recognizing his name. Marinette took this as a good sign, a smile appearing on her face. That smile quickly disappeared once Chat turned around.

He wore a somber expression, a sad smile. Tears were streaming down his face, and around his eyes appeared a purple mask. He choked out, “My Lady. I’m sorry,” then fell to the ground on his knees, purple blobs overcoming his body.

Marinette started sprinting the other direction, shouting “Run!” to Luka with tears of her own starting to appear on her face. She ran around a corner into an alleyway and stopped, panting and sitting down against the wall. _Oh god_ , she thought to herself.

_What am I supposed to do?_

_..._

_What can I do?_

~~~

She sat there for some time, trying to catch her breath. Her mind was racing, trying to comprehend everything at once. Suddenly, she noticed a red blur appear in front of her eyes, her kwami halting and floating beside her. Marinette had been so caught up in what was happening that she hadn’t noticed Tikki missing from her dash. “Tikki!” she cried in relief. “What’s happening? What am I supposed to do?”

Tikki paced around in the air, clearly distressed. “Marinette, this could be your most difficult Akuma yet. Sure, akumatizing Miraculous users is dangerous, but Chat carries the Miraculous of Destruction. It’s the most dangerous Miraculous to lose control of. You can’t do this alone.”

“Okay, okay,” Marinette said. “But who should I choose?” She twirled her hair around her finger, gently biting it in stress. Before she could say anymore, she heard footsteps rounding the  
corner.

Worried it was Chat, she curled her hand into a fist, prepared to fight him off. Instead, it was Luka who approached her, a look of both panic and concern on his face.

“Chat transformed, and I tried to go and find you. I had to make sure you were okay,” he explained while out of breath.

Marinette smiled slightly, glad Luka was concerned for her. “Thank you for worrying about me. However, we’ve got a bigger issue to focus on.”

She stood up, contemplating her options for a minute. An idea started to form in her head as she looked at Luka, developing into a plan. “Come with me. I have a plan,” she said.

She pulled a cookie out of her bag, feeding it to Tikki. The kwami devoured it, eating quickly as to not waste time.

Once she was done, Marinette shouted, “Tikki! Spots on!” and transformed into Ladybug. She pulled out her yo-yo, grabbing Luka’s arm and pulling him with her as they ascended into the air and traversed the rooftops.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a white leather-clad figure lurked in the shadows far away, watching the two hop and parkour throughout Paris. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched, a dark aura appearing around his fists. A low snarl emanated from his throat, and he leapt away in the direction of Luka and Ladybug.

~~~

Master Fu poured some green tea into a cup. “Wayzz, would you like some tea?” he called out. He looked expectantly towards the gramophone sitting on his counter.

A little green head popped out of the large brass bell. “No, but thank you, Master,” it replied, addressing the old man respectfully before disappearing back into the bell.

Master Fu smiled. “More for me, then.”

He raised the spout of the teapot to his cup to pour himself more. Just as he brought the rim of the cup to his mouth to drink, he heard a thud landing outside. He raised an eyebrow to no one in particular, then got up and peeked through the curtains. To his surprise, he saw Ladybug detransforming in front of a civilian. Settling back down, Master Fu called out, “Would you please come out, Wayzz? We seem to have a bit of a situation.”

Wayzz fully emerged from the bell, looking curious. Just then, they heard knocking. Master Fu nodded to Wayzz, who went to the door and quickly unlocked it.

~~~

Marinette’s heart was pounding. After everything that had happened in the past few minutes, she was worried Master Fu would scold her, doubt her ability as Ladybug. She was also nervous about her plan, and if Master Fu would agree.

In her distress, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Luka smiling softly at her. “You can do this, Marinette. You’re the smartest, bravest person I know.”

Marinette smiled back, her faith in her plan reassured. They heard the door swivel open, and turned their heads to see Master Fu sitting down, legs crossed, on the carpet. In his hand was a teacup and the respective teapot lay on the floor. He gestured to the carpet, motioning for them to sit.

They obeyed, respectfully sitting with their legs crossed as well. Master Fu asked, “Would you two like some tea?”

The two nodded, and Wayzz flew over to the counter to fetch more cups. As he searched, Tikki zoomed out of Marinette’s pocket, hovering next to her. “Master Fu,” she said in greeting.

Master Fu nodded towards her, then faced Marinette and said, “Tikki. Marinette. Always a pleasure.”

He then turned towards Luka and addressed him. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Luka Couffaine, sir,” he replied.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Luka.”

As they were finishing up with greetings, Wayzz made his way over, somehow holding three teacups, one considerably smaller than the others. He set one down in front of Luka, who replied with a thanks.

He handed the next one in front of Marinette, who scuffled his head in appreciation. Wayzz grinned up at her, then set the small one in front on Tikki before going to rest on his master’s head.

“So,” Master Fu started, “what brings you here, Marinette?”

Marinette cringed slightly from the memory, then set her shoulders straight and tried to muster up her courage. “We have a bit of a problem.”

“First, as you can tell, I accidentally revealed my identity to Luka.”

Master Fu nodded. “It was a mistake, but I trust in you enough to prevent it affecting anything.” He took a sip of tea.

Marinette wrung her hands nervously. “There’s also a much larger problem. Chat Noir…well, he got akumatized.”

Master Fu’s eyes widened. “Oh dear, that is problematic.”

“You cannot defeat Chat Noir on your own,” he continued. “He is your partner, your equal in every way yet your polar opposite. In this situation, he has Hawkmoth’s help, too. You need your own ally to defeat him. I assume that’s why you’re here?”

“Yes. I have to save him, whatever it takes,” Marinette replied.

“Then let’s choose your ally.” Master Fu walked over to the gramophone and slid a fake cover on the front away to reveal a series of buttons. He pressed a few, and the gramophone began to open up, showing secret compartments everywhere.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Master Fu said. “You must pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you in this mission. Choose wisely.”

Marinette walked over and roamed her eyes over the box, searching for the correct Miraculous. Once she found it, she picked it up and placed it in a smaller, hexagonal box. Master Fu smiled at her choice.

She took the box and turned towards Luka, who was watching her from the ground. She made her way over to him, his expression turning from admiration to confusion.

As he was about to ask, Marinette opened up the box to him. She said, “Luka Couffaine, this is the Miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of hypnotization. You will use it for the greater good. Once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”

Luka blinked in shock, but quickly recovered, a smile growing on his face. “You can count on me, Marinette,” he said.

He opened thebox, revealing the snake Miraculous. In the process, a teal-blue glow appeared, and a kwami came flying out of the box. It landed on the box itself, facing Luka.

It was a teal-colored cobra kwami, with a broad, triangular head and a long, winding tail. It had two tiny fangs and a pattern traveling down its back. The kwami opened its mouth to speak, revealing its forked tongue. “Hello, young master. My name is Sass. To whom do I owe the pleasure?”

Luka gaped slightly before straightening himself. “I’m Luka,” he said. “How do I get this thing started?”

“Simply say the words, ‘Sass, fangs out!” and you shall transform,” Sass explained.

“Well then,” Luka remarked, “let’s get this show on the road!”

“Sass, fangs out!”

~~~

Ladybug and Luka arrived at the Eiffel Tower, fully costumed. Ladybug landed first on a high beam, followed by Luka, who had to jump up the tower since his weapon, a lyre, wasn’t much for transportation.

“Guess who’s the rotten egg?” Ladybug teased.

“Hey, it’s not my fault I get a lyre. Does this thing look mobile to you?” Luka shot back.

Ladybug chuckled. “At least you got the looks. I mean, seriously, how is my polka-dotted spandex supposed to compete with that?” She gestured towards him.

Luka wore a black and cyan costume, with snake-like patterns running up his calves, forearms, chest, and hips. On his belly and through his thighs was a more solid section, just like the underbelly of a snake. The sides of his costume were filled in with black. He wore a cyan mask, the color perfectly matching his dyed hair.

Looking down at his costume, Luka smirked. “I’m sure you’ll manage.”

Ladybug scanned the city, looking for Chat. “Do you see anything… you still don’t have a name do you?”

Luka grinned. “Actually, I thought of one on the way here. How about… Viperion?” he asked, waving his hands like the word was appearing in the air.

Ladybug threw her hands up. “See, this is what I’m talking about. I can’t compete against that!”

“I’ll take that as a good sign,” Viperion said. He then frowned. “Isn’t there supposed to be a lot more… destruction happening?”

The spotted heroine nodded in agreement. “Yeah, usually akumas cause a big scene by now. Why is Chat not doing anything?” she asked.

“Civilians aren’t necessarily a priority at the moment,” a low voice called out from the shadows behind them. “However, you two… now that’s a different story.”

Ladybug and Viperion instantly whirled around, weapons at the ready. Ladybug was about to attempt to wrap the intruder up in her yo-yo when she recognized the voice. She gasped, lowering her weapon, prompting Viperion to do the same.

“Ch- Chat Noir?” she called out, her voice trembling.

He stepped closer, a sly grin on his face. “Close,” he replied.

He kept approaching them until he stepped out of the darkness, becoming visible. His costume was the same, except he wore entirely white with his ring and eyes being bright gold.

“Now,” he continued, “I’m known as Chat Blanc. Clever, hmm?”

He turned to Viperion, his expression morphing into disgust. “You chose him to wield a Miraculous? Are you trying to antagonize me?”

Viperion hissed and replied, “Hey, back off, man.”

Meanwhile, Ladybug wore an expression of concern on her face. She asked softly, “Mon Chaton, why are you so angry?”

“Why am I so angry?” he retorted. “I’ve been your partner for years, yet the second you reveal your identity, you disregard me completely? What kind of partner are you?”

Ladybug walked up to Chat Blanc. Viperion raised his eyebrows in concern, but kept quiet, trusting in her. She raised a hand to Chat’s face, holding his cheek in her palm. “Chat, I am so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Come back to me, please,” she said, trying to relay her love for her partner in her words.

For a second, it seemed as though it worked. Chat’s eyes flickered between gold and green, and he muttered softly, “My Lady…”

However, a purple butterfly flashed over his eyes, and Chat Blanc came back in control. He swatted Ladybug’s hand away and pushed her back violently. She stumbled, Viperion catching her before she fell.

“Lies. All lies. You never cared for me. You only used me as a tool to win, disregarding my affections completely. Well, no more,” he snarled.

“Hawkmoth promised me power, giving me significance, letting me be noticed for once. All I have to do is get my hands on that,” he said, pointing to Ladybug’s earring. “Now, are you going to give it to me, or am I going to have to take it?”

Getting up from her stumble, Ladybug stood straight, grabbing her yo-yo. “Chaton, I had no idea what you were feeling.”

“Well, I guess that’s the problem, isn’t it?” he growled. “I’m going to take your dodging of the question as a no. Too bad. Now I have to do some work.”

Chat Blanc yelled, “Cataclysm!” and slammed his hand down on the beam they were on. He then took his staff and extended it to the side, making a makeshift pole he could grab.

The beam quickly disintegrated, causing Ladybug and Viperion to fall down to the bottom of the tower. Chat grabbed the pole he created, hanging there.

Ladybug had to think quickly, so she lassoed Viperion in and extended her yo-yo out to grab another beam on the tower, leaving them swinging like a pendulum.

Chat spotted them and growled, frustrated. He climbed back onto the tower, grabbing his staff, then activated Cataclysm and jumped down the side of the tower the two were stuck on.

While falling, he ran his Cataclysm hand down the tower, slowly starting to destroy the entire thing. With his other hand, he grabbed his staff again and prepared for attack.

The destruction spread to the beam Ladybug and Viperion were hanging from, sending them falling yet again. Chat took his hand off of the tower, deactivating Cataclysm. He angled his body to fall faster until he was on the superheroes’ level, then simultaneously grabbed Ladybug’s arm and extended his staff down to the ground.

The staff struck, jerking the pair to a stop. Chat smirked at Ladybug, then extended his staff once again, this time up. Ladybug resisted, trying to escape his grip by kicking and thrashing to no avail. He continued until they were well above the clouds, pulling Ladybug with him, then stopped.

Chat perched himself on the tip of the staff, pulling Ladybug up with him. “You know, this Miraculous magic comes in real handy sometimes. For example, this staff work should be physically impossible,” he explained.

Ladybug flailed around, trying to hit Chat’s hand off of her. “Let me go!,” she yelled.

“You sure about that? It’s a long, long way down,” he said.

She looked down and gulped, realizing how incredibly high up they were. She then faced Chat and asked angrily, “Why did you bring me up here?”

“Well,” Chat replied, “I wanted you to bear witness to this. See, through Hawkmoth, I learned about another aspect of my Cataclysm.”

“The magic uses Plagg’s energy to destroy things, which works well for most anything. However, it can use other sources of energy to multiply its destructive capabilities.”

“So? What about it?”

“Well, how much of the city would be destroyed if I jumped and used all of the energy of a meteor impact to Cataclysm the ground?” he asked with an insane grin.

Ladybug’s eyes widened, realizing the scope of what he was saying. “B- But, you’ll kill yourself doing it!”

Chat laughed maniacally. “See, that’s the great thing about magic! With both Hawkmoth’s and my magic, I can prevent any damage I would take, any injuries I would have! It’s a flawless plan!”

“You can’t do this! You’ll destroy the whole city!” she cried.

“Try country.” Chat smirked. “I mean, you could always give me your Miraculous.”

Ladybug stayed silent, a furious expression on her face.

“There’s my answer. Say goodbye to your beloved city.” Chat pressed a button on his staff and retracted the entire thing back, setting the two falling to the ground.

“No!” Ladybug shouted, spinning in the air.

In the midst of this, Viperion was falling fast to the ground. He didn’t have a way to safely land, as his weapon couldn’t extend like the others. He scrunched his eyebrows, trying to think. Suddenly, an idea emerged.

He ushered himself to the hastily decaying Eiffel Tower. It was almost reduced to ashes, the supports completely gone and the core soon to be gone as well.

Viperion struck a chord on his lyre, willing the sound to expand. It did as instructed, the sound waves shaking the tower enough so that rubble fell off. The rubble couldn’t decay since it wasn’t attached to the tower anymore. The snake superhero smiled, proud of his work. He leapt off of the falling debris safely to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ladybug and Chat Blanc were free-falling down to the ground. They started above the clouds, almost in the stratosphere. Chat raised his arms above his head as if he were in a diving competition. However, he kept his hands out, parallel to the ground.

A strange aura bubble started to emanate from Chat. It appeared purple, as if Hawkmoth was influencing it, which was exactly what was happening. The shield kept Chat safe from any debris or harm as he fell. The same could not be said for Ladybug, who was starting to look nauseous from all the spinning. Grunting, she righted herself, streamlining to fall faster as well.

Chat’s skydiving had reached an absurd speed. Flames were starting to cover the bottom of his aura, and soon he was looking like a meteor about to hit the ground.

Ladybug attempted to go faster, but her magic wasn’t powerful enough, and she could only watch helplessly as Chat shot down. She closed her eyes in preparation.

Viperion settled down on the ground, then saw a light coming from above. Frowning in confusion, he looked up when he saw a fireball heading straight for him. He bolted, trying to find a safe spot from the human meteor.

Chat was almost at the ground when he created a sonic boom. The blast ricocheted off of every building in Paris, breaking windows. Almost every Parisian simultaneously got a headache, their ears ringing violently. The light from Chat’s fireball was almost too much to bear.

He screamed out an inaudible Cataclysm, and both of his hands started producing a black aura that grew larger and larger. The aura seemed to suck the flames out of the air, fueling its own energy.

Finally, Chat hit the ground hands first. By then the Cataclysm aura had surrounded his entire body, and the flames had disappeared. The second his hands met the ground, giant cracks appeared in the earth throughout Paris, extending out through the countryside. The air around Chat had superheated, imploding on itself. The result was an extreme explosion, sending a wave of heat and tornado-level wind fanning out from the Eiffel Tower, completely obliterating the center of Paris and laying waste to the rest of the city. Debris was launched into the sky, and ash covered the city to the point where the sun was blocked out.

Ladybug came down safely, using her enhanced senses to parkour down the rubble flying up from the explosion. She landed gracefully on the cracked floor, coughing from the excess of smoke in the air. Her Miraculous had protected her from the damage, and she could only hope the same for Viperion.

The city had been turned into a wasteland. Rubble was raining from the sky, and small fires swept across the ground. Entire buildings had disintegrated into ash, and others had gigantic holes in them. In the middle of all of the chaos stood Chat Blanc, perfectly intact and grinning like a madman and surveying the damage done.

Ladybug was about to approach him when a cyan blur jumped at him first. In a flash, Viperion started whaling on Chat Blanc. Holding his lyre from the top, he used the other side as a wide dagger, swiping and slashing across Chat’s body.

Chat recoiled at first, stumbling, but quickly regained his stance, pulling out his staff and fighting back. The two went at it, slashing back and forth, like a fencing match to the death.

Chat jabbed, but Viperion parried and retaliated with a swipe to Chat’s stomach. Chat groaned, then extended his staff enough to hit Viperion back. He then performed a series of complicated offensive maneuvers, with Viperion barely managing to block them.

During their fighting, Viperion snuck a quick glance at Ladybug and nodded to her. Understanding the silent message, Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and summoned her Lucky Charm. It placed a pair of earplugs into her hands.

_How on earth am I going to use this?_ , she wondered. She looked up, then back down. Spots appeared on the earplugs, then Luka. Formulating her plan in her head, Ladybug smiled, knowing exactly what to do.

Ladybug broke out into a sprint, dodging fire and fallen rubble trying to get to the two boys. She jumped past, lassoing Viperion and pulling him away. They landed on a piece of debris that looked suspiciously like her parents’ bakery sign. She shuddered at the thought, but banished it from her mind. She couldn’t afford distractions now.

Viperion was panting, exhausted from his battle. “Thanks for pulling me out of there. It was getting tough. What’s the plan?” he asked.

Ladybug whispered in his ear, outlining what he needed to do. He nodded, already heading back to Chat. She yelled out, “Good luck!” and stuck the earplugs in her ear.

Viperion walked up to where he and Chat were fighting before. Chat had disappeared, so Viperion attempted to find him. He called out, “Here, kitty kitty! Snakey wants to play!”

Chat emerged from a shadow, looking unamused. “If you’re going to replace me, at least speak sensibly,” he called out.

Viperion smirked, pulling out his lyre. “Who needs words when you’ve got music?”

He began to play, plucking across the strings and sending a haunting melody echoing across the ruins. It caught Chat Blanc’s ear, who started to sway without realizing it. Viperion walked closer until he was an arms reach away from Chat.

“Now, kitty,” Viperion said, “I’m gonna need to ask you to do a few things.”

“Uh huh,” Chat muttered, still swaying. His eyes seemed glazed over, and a dopey smile slowly stretched across his face.

“First, I need you to activate Cataclysm.”

Chat lazily called out, “Cataclysm…”

His hand started emitting the familiar dark aura.

“Good, very good,” Viperion said tentatively. “Now, for this part, I’ll need you to stay where you are for a while. Can you do that?”

“Absolutely!” Chat slurred.

“Awesome. I’m gonna need you to just put your finger on your Miraculous.”

“B-but… won’t that make me naaaaked?” Chat’s eyes widened for dramatic effect, and he put his hand up to his mouth.

Viperion stared blankly at him, then gathered his composure and replied, “Uh, well, it’ll help you get stronger! Cataclysming your own Miraculous means more energy, after all.”

In his mind, Viperion had no idea what he was saying. He only hoped it would work on the hypnotized Chat.

“Okay then, I guess,” Chat replied, almost drunkenly. Viperion mentally pumped his fist in success.

Chat tapped his Miraculous once and it shattered, releasing a purple butterfly into the air. Since Chat didn’t have his Miraculous anymore, he started detransforming.

Ladybug, who was watching the entire time, unaffected by the hypnotizing music, quickly lashed out her yo-yo and grabbed the Akuma. “No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!”

She released the newly purified Akuma, not looking Chat’s way. “Bye, bye, little butterfly.”

She then took her earplugs out and threw them in the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she shouted.

The familiar swarm of ladybugs went to work, rebuilding Paris as though nothing ever happened. Soon, everything was back to normal. Ladybug sighed in relief, then turned to Viperion and held out her fist. Viperion smiled and returned the gesture, both of them saying, “Pound it!”

Ladybug finally turned to Chat Noir to check on him, brandishing a smile and working up her speech to motivate him. However, he had a stricken look on his face as he looked between Ladybug and Viperion. It was almost haunted, like he had experienced war or something.

The second he met Ladybug’s gaze, he took his staff and jumped away. Ladybug cried out, “Chat! Wait!” to no avail. It was too late.

“Give him time. He had a bad day today. I’m sure he was just terrified” Ladybug looked back to see Luka, detransformed and holding his Miraculous.

“You’re probably right,” Ladybug replied. “Still, I can’t help but worry.”

“Well, in the meantime, I believe I have a debt to pay.” Luka handed the box to Ladybug, paused for a second, then rushed in to hug her. “Thank you, Marinette,” he said. She froze on the spot, prompting him to release her and chuckle, then head off.

She stood frozen until her Miraculous beeped, shocking her out of her stupor. She swung back to Master Fu’s house to return the snake Miraculous, then headed home after a long day.

Leaping through the window, Marinette detransformed, groggily walking across the room, rubbing her eyes and flopping on her bed. “Uggh, this has been the longest day ever!” she moaned. “Two akumas in a day?”

Tikki floated up to her bed, looking amused. “You got through it, Marinette. You always do!”

“I suppose you’re right, Tikki, as usual,” Marinette said.

Tikki giggled. “I’m worried about Chat, through,” Marinette continued. “He didn’t seem normal after his akumatization.”

“He was the most powerful Akuma we’ve ever faced! I’m sure he was just shaken up.”

“You’re probably right. Again.” Marinette smiled at Tikki. “Anyway, I haven’t had time to do my daily practice of talking to Adrien. Wanna help?”

“Of course!” Tikki replied brightly.

She went over to Marinette’s desk and held up a photo of Adrien. “Now, ask me on a date.”

“Uh… well… hey, Adrien!” Marinette flustered. She turned red and started to stumble over her words.

“Would you like to go to the woovies mith thee? I mean- movies with me! Movies with me! Ahh!” she screamed, then fell down onto her bed with laughter alongside Tikki. She took the photo from Tikki and started looking at it, gazing at it as if it was actually Adrien.

“Don’t worry Marinette!” Tikki said encouragingly. “You’ll get there one day!”

“I will get there.” Marinette murmured dreamily while staring at the photo.

“Whatever it takes…”

~~~

Ladybug bounded across the rooftops, literally jumping with excitement. It was the dead of night, the perfect time for patrol hour, with the moon up and the stars shining. She hadn’t seen Chat today since his akumatization. She wanted to talk to him, banter with him, and just hang out with him.

She missed his jokes and his easy going attitude more and more lately. She’d been looking forward to this all day. She smiled at the thought of him cracking a joke at her lateness, punning away to infinity.

She’d disliked Chat when they first met, finding his outspoken attitude annoying and distracting. Over the years, however, she saw how gentle and kind of a heart he had, beneath all the jokes. She’d come to love him as her best friend, and recently, maybe a little more…

_ Nope nope nope nope nope,  _ Ladybug thought to herself, shaking her head. Chat Noir was her best  **friend** , nothing more. Nothing less. She grinned to herself, slowly making her way up the unbroken Eiffel Tower to their typical meeting spot. 

She didn’t notice anyone up there, and just thought she’d made it there first. She sat down, waiting patiently for him to arrive, when she saw something on the beam near her.

She squinted, but it was nighttime, so all she could make out was a pebble. Maybe the Miraculous Ladybug didn’t fully work?, she thought. Upon closer inspection, it was a Miraculous box and a handwritten note.

She took the box first, wondering how a Miraculous had ended up here. She carefully opened it, and a black kwami came racing out.

“Kid? Kid!” it called out, seemingly in despair. “What are you-“ he noticed that he was in the night sky, facing Ladybug.

“Oh no,” the kwami muttered. “he actually did it.”

Ladybug’s confusion increased tenfold, until she looked down and saw a familiar silver ring in the box. Her confusion instantly turned to despair as well.

“No, no no no, no no no no!” she cried. “Chat, no!” Tears appeared in her eyes, rolling down until they splashed onto the beam.

The kwami handed her the note. “Here. This is for you,” he said solemnly.

She grabbed the paper, trying not to get tear stains on it and utterly failing.

_ Dear Ladybug, _

_ I’ve decided to hang up my suit. I’m sorry, but it’s too dangerous for me to have this anymore. I’m a liability. _

_ I remember, Ladybug. I remember everything. I’m not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m a Miraculous user. Anyways, I saw what I’d done firsthand. I didn’t just destroy Paris. If I’d have kept going, I’d have put the whole world at risk. _

_I can’t keep the Miraculous under these conditions. If I’m akumatized, I can’t have the ability to hurt you, or worse. You’re all that matters to me, my lady-_ Ladybug almost lost it right then and there, but she struggled through.

_ You’re all that matters to me, my lady. You’re all I have. I can’t lose you, no matter the cost. Besides, you have help. Competent help. I saw Luka help today, and I can already say he’s going to be a great user. With the rest of the team, you’ll have no trouble.  _

_ I know you’ll be hurt by this, but you’ll get through it. You’re strong. The strongest person I know. And even if I don’t have my Miraculous, one thing will always stay the same, no matter what changes. I’ll always love you, Marinette, all of you.  _

_ Love, _

_ Chat Noir _

Ladybug did lose it then. She burst into more tears than she thought possible, not noticing her detransformation. Tikki tried to brush away some of the tears, to no avail. Plagg lay on her hair and purred to calm her, which only reminded her of Chat and made her cry harder.

“Chaton… you stupid, stupid cat,” she said to herself though the tears. “I can’t do this without you, you know that. Please, don’t leave me.”

Transforming and running home, taking the stuff with her, she threw the box and note on the table and stumbled through her room, not caring if she disrupted anything. She collapsed onto her bed in distraught. “I promise I’ll find you, Chat, whatever it takes. I won’t stop until I’ve found you,” she murmured to herself. Crying herself to sleep, she whispered one last thing before finally succumbing to rest.

_Whatever it takes._

**Author's Note:**

> Any questions you guys have, put them in the comments and I’ll get to them. Thanks for reading!


End file.
